The Hunters
by Omega436
Summary: A message sent. A forgotten monolith. A power so great it could bring about humanity's end. Enter the planet of Serumai-IV, where Fireteam Osiris goes looking for their abducted commander, kidnapped by a strange group called the Hunters. They're after Locke, but they stumble across something much, much bigger.
1. Chapter 1: Data Storage

Chapter One: Vanish

"Vale!" Buck called. "Catch!"

It was Vale's SMG. She spent hours in the armory modifying it so it was her gun. Offering a "thanks" in return, she ducked behind cover and pulled out her plasma pistol. She squeezed and held the trigger, feeling the gun vibrate and glow green with superheated plasma. She let go of the trigger and watched the green liquid fly towards an Elite, hitting it square in the chest. Before she could even react, the Elite was dead on the ground. She heard a laugh. Glancing over, she saw Buck sheathing his Whispered Truth.

It was a routine cleanse. Osiris had to clear out hostiles from a data storage. To be truthful, Vale enjoyed them. It was good practice and gave her more opportunity to practice.

"Let's pick it up, Vale!" Tanaka called back at her. Vale noticed she had started to lag behind. To think she was supposed to be the fast one. She picked up the pace and was soon leading them.

"Data storage building's just on the right!" Locke said to all of them. "Do it fast and clean, Osiris. Move!"

Buck ran towards the stairs. Vale saw him charge straight through the door and kill two Elites in the blink of an eye. Tanaka stayed back, firing stray shots with her DMR to try and lure out any foolish Grunts, or even an Elite.

"Vale, I want you with me! We take the ridge and surprise them from up top!" Locke said.

"Yes sir!" she responded. She followed Locke up a narrow ridgeline to the right and broke into a full sprint. The gap between the building and the ridge was a far one. She saw Locke to her right, as he seemed to hover in mid-air, then came slamming down with massive acceleration onto the building's roof. Vale jumped, and immediately knew she wasn't going to make it. She hit her thrusters, and felt her fingertips grasping for some kind of a surface. She felt her hands make contact with the wall, but they were slipping. Locke's hand seemed to appear, and pulled her up onto the roof.

"On your feet, Vale. You alright?" Locke asked, before proceeding to viciously hit a Grunt that ran past him. Vale nodded and they headed down into the basement. They entered a room with highly valuable tech, only to find that most of it was smashed to bits or had plasma damage. Buck had caught up with them, having cleared out most of the Elites in the first floor.

"Where's Tanaka?" Vale asked. She got her answer with a reply of "Take that!" She turned around to see Tanaka standing next to an Elite corpse. A dent in the wall showed that Tanaka had just charged the Elite clear into the next world.

"Look at all this tech!" Tanaka exclaimed. "Pity the Covies had to have damaged them so much. We could've used these." Tanaka seemed to mourn the computers.

"I think that's all of them, Locke," Buck said.

"Not yet. There's still a staircase leading to the subbasement."

"The Hive," Buck breathed. He always referred to the data storage rooms as The Hive. It was a subtle reference to when he was still an ODST on New Mombasa. The Rookie was one of the most resourceful guys he had ever met. It was a shame he was dead. His inner reverie was interrupted by Vale yelling, "You should really come and see this!"

In the subbasement was a bunch of data terminals. There was a secure research room at the far end, blocked by an almost unbreakable window. Two dead Elites lay at the foot of the door to the research room. Close to ten scientists were all gathered by the window. Two of them held their hands up, revealing that they were holding pistols.

"Did you… kill those Elites?" Locke asked. A frightened nod was the response he got.

"It's okay. You're alright," Vale said. "The Covenant here are dead. Open the door." The door opened and the scientists filed out.

"Thank God," one said. "They just burst down here. We all rushed into the research room before they could get us. They started to try and break down the window, so we had to do something. Allen over here rushed out and started shooting at one of them. I grabbed the other pistol and emptied the clip into it. It just kinda dropped. We thought it was over, when another one came down and we had to do it again. I've never been so scared in my entire life."

"Evac's coming soon," Tanaka said. "You people will be fine."

Vale headed up the stairs to the roof. She saw the Pelican flying in. She noticed the forward autocannons, the two side turrets, and the cannon on top. "Why would the UNSC send an assault variant for an evac? The UNSC shouldn't be expecting confrontation way out here."

The four of them stood slightly on guard as the Pelican descended. They advanced slowly towards the craft, waiting for the hatch to open. When it did, they were more than surprised to see six armed Spartans jump to the ground. 3 of them immediately managed to subdue Buck, Tanaka, and Vale using the element of surprise. Vale struggled under the Spartan's grasp. She felt a pistol press against her helmet.

"Don't struggle."

The remaining three had proceeded to knock Locke unconscious and drag him into the Pelican. A Spartan who seemed to be the leader of the group stepped forward.

"No hard feelings, but we need him. Sorry," he said with mock cheerfulness.

"Who-who are you guys!" Vale shouted under the hold of the Spartan.

In a chilling voice, the leader responded with, "Venatores." With a final shove to the ground, the remaining Spartans hopped into the Pelican. They were all gone before the rest of Osiris could stand up.

"How?" Vale asked.

"Why?" Buck said.

"Hunters," said Tanaka.

"Hunters?" Buck and Vale said in unison.

"Venatores," explained Tanaka. "That's Old Latin for hunters. Why'd they take Locke?"

Her question was met with shrugs. "Great," said Buck. "Our commander's been kidnapped."

"We're going to find him." Vale's voice was firm. "We are NOT letting those hunter-whatevers take him. He's our captain. We have to track them down."

"We're not accomplishing anything here," said Tanaka. "The Pelican's here. We'll brief with Lasky back on the Infinity."

Vale felt a deep uncertainty, close to fear, wash over her.

"Why?" she asked herself repeatedly on the ride back.


	2. Chapter 2: Locke-down

Chapter Two: Locke-down

Tanaka paced the bridge of the Infinity. She'd trained herself to keep a cool head in situations like this, but inside she was freaking out. _Her C.O. was kidnapped. It was all her fault. She didn't save him._ She took deep breaths, trying to reassure herself she'd be fine. She felt a hand on her shoulder.

"It wasn't your fault, Holly. We all feel bad." It was Vale. Tanaka turned and responded.

"I should've been paying more attention," she lamented. "I could've done something, they just… Ambushed us…"

"We're going to find him, Tanaka," Buck responded. Tanaka was about to reply when Captain Lasky and Commander Palmer walked into the bridge.

"This had better be important," Lasky said.

"Locke's been abducted," Vale said. "14:00 hours. Routine cleanse. We were waiting for Evac when a fully armed assault Pelican came and captured Locke. There were 6 occupants, all of them armed, and 3 of them managed to subdue us by surprise. They flew off." Vale breathed deeply and swallowed.

"Did you notice anything special about any of them?" Palmer asked.

"The leader of the group wore HELIOSKRILL-class armor," Vale noted. "They seemed to follow a distinct hierarchy, one leader, two bodyguards, and then 3 soldiers. "

"Also," Tanaka jumped in, "I asked them who they were. They responded with Venatores, which is Old Latin for 'hunters'."

"Roland, run a search on all of our files for a group called the Hunters, cross-reference Helioskrill armor." Lasky's voice was tight, his lips forming a thin line across his face.

"You got it," said Roland. A few moments later a few screens popped up. "I had to sift through some unrelevant data, but our records show a platoon encountered them at a Forerunner relay a few years prior. Fits to a T, hierarchy, Helioskrill, and the Latin. I will accept all praise and compliments now, thank you." Roland glowed a bright orange.

"Relays? Why were they trying to access Forerunner teleportation sites?" Vale asked.

"Well, we don't have solid data for that, my best guess is that they're trying to either A: study the Prometheans and monitor their movements, B: stockpile weapons or schematics from the relay's database, or C: They're trying to find a way for humans to enter the Domain," Roland answered.

"That's impossible. Only Prometheans can enter the Domain. It's the whole "AI construct" concept," Vale scoffed.

"Hence why it should be taken with a grain of salt, Olympia," Roland quipped. "And do you have something against AI's now? Hopefully not the genius intellect responsible for keeping this ship running."

"Quit it, Roland. That's enough." Lasky looked at Vale sympathetically. "Always hated that guy," Palmer laughed.

Vale seethed. She hated being called by her first name. It reminded her of when she was a child, and the bad memories following her parents' divorce.

"Isn't there something we could do?" Buck asked. "We can't just let him die!"

Tanaka's brain brightened up. She had an idea. "Do you have anything that can monitor flight patterns and see which aircraft has left where? You know, like an air traffic control device?"

"We usually only use it during an insurrection… We have one, and it's used to trace either enemy Pelicans or incoming Covenant aircraft." Palmer answered.

"If we use it back on the planet, we should be able to monitor the flight path of the other Pelican. That could lead us right to the Hunters. The planet we were on was backwater and out of the way. No Pelicans fly through that airspace, and Covenant vehicles are marked differently. We could do it." Tanaka's resolve steeled, and she felt the bitterness in her stomach slowly subside. All she needed to accomplish something was hope and a plan.

"Very well," Lasky sighed. "Fireteam Osiris, I am hereby placing you under orders to investigate and trace the location of Commander Jameson Locke, gone MIA 4 hours ago. As of right now, command of this fireteam shifts to Spartan Buck, as previously explained by Spartan Locke. Clear?"

The three Spartans nodded and filed out of the bridge towards the Hangar Bay.

"Spartans?" Lasky called. The three stopped and turned around. "Good luck out there. I'm authorizing a Pelican for your usage. Bring Locke back safely."

Serumai-IV

Locke stirred. His vision was slightly hazy. He willed his eyes to focus until the image of a bright blue barrier came into focus. He was in a prison. He tried to move but stopped when his arms and legs remained pinned to the wall by a hardlight restraint. A figure stepped into view, typed a code into the control panel on the outside and waited for the hardlight to dissipate. The figure stepped up to Locke and calmly waited for Locke to speak.

"Who are you?" Locke finally asked.

"My name isn't important right now," answered the figure.

"Why am I here?" Locke asked.

"We need your help," answered the figure yet again.

"I'm pretty sure people who need my help don't bring an assault Pelican and abduct me!" Locke shouted.

"I am fairly confident that was the only way we could properly enlist your services. Which brings me to the reason I'm here. We have discovered something that we'd like your help unlocking. Cooperate, and we'll let you go once our ends are accomplished. Refuse to help, and we'll leave you here to die," the figure said emotionlessly.

"Am I allowed to know what you need help unlocking?" Locke asked.

"Not at this stage. Now, are you willing to help us? If you don't, I could always leave you in here." He turned to face someone. The other figure wasn't a Spartan, he was a scientist. He handed the Spartan something that looked like a magnet.

"Fine," Locke said. "I'll help you." He was lying through his teeth. He did not intend to help these freaks. Once he gathered enough trust and materials to mount an escape, he would. He wasn't sure if the rest of Osiris could track him down, so he had to do this by himself.

"Excellent. A wise decision, Spartan Locke." The Spartan placed the magnet-device on the back of Locke's armor. The device was tiny, no bigger than a dessert plate, but it was powerful. Locke's armor immediately felt heavier and more resistant to his movements. The Spartan deactivated the restraints and let Locke free. Locke tried to run around, but his armor refused. He was reduced to walking at a snail's pace.

"Like the inhibitor? It's a redesign of the armor stabilizers, this time augmented to slow down key kinetic servo joints in the limbs. Effectively reduces runaway captives to easy captures. Follow me. I'll show you the compound."

Locke followed the figure out of the cell and down a tunnel. A tiny freight elevator was on the right end of the tunnel. The two climbed on and ascended to a surveillance room. The Spartan entered his passcode and the door opened. They were in a garage. Their armament was quite impressive: 10 Scorpions, 20 Warthogs, a few scattered Mongooses and Gungooses. The impressive thing, however, was the bay of Ghosts and Wraiths that they had somehow managed to commandeer. The Spartan walked to the garage door and pressed a button. The garage door opened to reveal a growing colony. At the very heart of it was a well-kept UNSC firebase.

"Welcome to Serumai-IV," the Spartan said.


	3. Chapter 3: The Praetors

Chapter 3: The Praetors

Gnaeus was walking out of the garage talking to their prisoner when Brutus spotted him. He ran over to Gnaeus, flagging him down.

"I'm in the middle of touring Spartan Locke, Brutus. What is so important?" Gnaeus asked.

"My apologies, Captain Gnaeus, but the technicians found another Forerunner relay. It could potentially have some good finds, possibly a hint of a larger system," Brutus responded.

"I see," Gnaeus responded. "You and Pontius can deal with it."

"Yes sir." Brutus' response was quick, and without a second word he had ran off into the compound to tell Pontius.

"Pontius, we're on a mission now. Routine smash and grab." The nod from Pontius was all Brutus needed to start prepping his gear. "I'll be in the Bay," Brutus said."

Brutus stood next to the Scout Warthog waiting for his partner. Brutus finished loading his SMG. He attached it to his regular spot on his right thigh, and checked to make sure his DMR was functioning properly. He had modified his two weapons so they both had extended magazines and increased distance. Having taken quite a liking to his DMR, he had given it the name of Rulebreaker. He sheathed Rulebreaker and hopped into the passenger seat. Pontius always drove.

Brutus spotted Pontius heading into the vehicle bay. He was loading a magazine into his custom modified sniper rifle. Now nicknamed Quiet End, a normal sniper rifle had been modified with a suppressed barrel and an extended magazine. His pistol bore a suppressed barrel as well. Pontius hopped into the driver seat and gunned the engine. The Warthog tore out of the garage, leaving a trail of dust around the dirt exit path.

They arrived at their destination rather quickly. It was a tiny hillside. A small Forerunner device sat at the top of the hill.

"Device. Check it out, Pontius," Brutus ordered. Pontius nodded, and went up to examine the construct. He captured a few pictures with his visor and searched for a power source. He examined the construct more closely, and found no signs of anything else.

"I don't get it," Brutus said. "Where's the relay?"

Pontius snapped his fingers. "Over here," he said in a low voice. Pontius was what people considered the "strong silent type". He never really talked much. Brutus followed Pontius to the edge of the cliff. Pontius pointed downward, to where the relay was sitting.

"Then what's this?" Brutus asked, placing his hand on the top of the device. A holographic image of some kind of Forerunner weapon projected on the screen. "Take a pic of this, Pontius," Brutus said.

It wasn't until the device exploded that Brutus realized something was off. The device pulsed brightly, and sent out a force powerful enough to send the duo careening off of the cliff. Pontius had the quick thinking to activate his stabilizers and land safely. Brutus, however was not so lucky. He hit the ground hard, and was unable to get up. Pontius then realized Prometheans were closing in. He looked at the cliffside, where two Knights stood at the ready. They jumped down and lumbered menacingly towards him. Pontius drew out Quiet End and shot at the two Knight's energy spheres on either side of their body. One Knight lost both and lunged forward, energy core exposed. Pontius sidestepped by the Knight and stabbed it with his combat knife. The Knight disintegrated.

The other Knight, however, still had one energy sphere and lunged at Pontius with his Blade Arm. Pontius barely had time to jump back. The Knight reared for another charge when his other energy sphere exploded. Pontius glanced behind him and saw Brutus, still lying immobile on the ground, with his DMR extended.

"You OWE ME!" Brutus yelled. Pontius quickly proceeded to dispatch the Knight. He then held out a portable computer and activated a sequence.

"Transferring Forerunner data," the computer's cheery voice rang. After a few minutes, the computer's voice said, "All data transferred."

Pontius drove the Warthog to Brutus and lifted him into the passenger seat. "Any good data?" Brutus asked. "More of the same references to the Holy Light and the Domain," Pontius answered. The rest of the ride consisted mostly of silence.

They arrived at the Serumai compound to find utter chaos. Brutus began to hobble off to the medics, while a soldier ran up to Pontius.

"Thank God you're back. It's the Prometheans! They're attacking!"

Pontius nodded and ran off towards the front lines. A groups of soldiers were holding off a group of Promethean soldiers. Pontius drew out his sniper and dispatched them quickly. He stayed to assist them against a few more waves of soldiers, until he dismissed himself to assure the safety of Gnaeus. He ran off into the firebase. Running into the Captain's quarters, he found Gnaeus yelling at a Spartan.

"He did WHAT?!" Gnaeus was yelling. "Well FIND HIM!"

"Sir! What's happened?" Pontius asked.

"It's our prisoner," the Captain answered.

"What, sir?" Pontius asked, with a very good idea of what had happened.

"He's escaped. Lock down the compound. This is a Level One priority. Find him and bring him back to me. He's the only one who can access the Domain." Gnaeus was pacing back and forth.

"What was that, sir?" Pontius asked quizzically.

"I said he's the only one who can get us in the relay! I don't pay you to ask questions! Move! Go!" Gnaeus shooed him out.

Pontius ran to the medbay. He had to find Brutus, and find this Locke.

"When I find you, Spartan Locke, there will be hell to pay," Pontius thought to himself.


	4. Chapter 4: The Created

Chapter 4: The Created

As Locke was led out of the gate by this mysterious Spartan, he had to take a second to absorb all of what he processing. He had no idea where Serumai was, whether it was under UNSC jurisdiction, and what he should do. He was impressed that civilization could carry on out here. His eyes naturally drifted to a massive shadow on the ground. Looking up, he saw the tall, imposing structure a few miles out of the main hub.

"The monolith," Locke's captor said. "You'll see it soon enough. Just a few things need to be taken care of soon. I'll run you through a few thi-"He was cut off by a Spartan with armor Locke recognized as NOBLE-class.

"Gnaeus! Captain!" the NOBLE Spartan called. Locke could only assume his captor's name was Gnaeus.

"I'm in the middle of touring Spartan Locke, Brutus. What is so important?" Gnaeus asked.

"My apologies, Captain Gnaeus, but the technicians found another Forerunner relay. It could potentially have some good finds, possibly a hint of a larger system," the Spartan called Brutus answered.

"I see," Gnaeus said. "You and Pontius can deal with it."

Brutus' response was quick and he had ran off into the firebase.

"Sorry about that. It's the price you pay for protection," Gnaeus said. After a moment, Gnaeus said, "Not that I can't protect myself. In case you get any ideas, which I'm certain you won't."

"No… Sir," Locke said curtly.

"Excellent," Gnaeus said. "Now, to the gate. The monolith isn't far, but it still requires a Warthog. An associate will have one waiting."

The drive was short. Locke stepped out of the Warthog and stared up at the imposing shadow of the monolith. In front of the monolith, there stood a small control panel.

"Have you tried activating the console?" Locke asked, only half-joking.

"It won't respond. Nothing happens." Gnaeus seemed to sigh.

"And why do you think I'd be able to do anything?" Locke asked.

"Genesis."

Gnaeus' answer made Locke turn and face him. "How'd you hear about Genesis?" Locke asked.

"We paid attention to the Forerunner Guardians very closely. Forerunner tech is kind of our specialty. Now stop stalling and hit the console."

Locke bristled, and reluctantly stepped to the console. He breathed deeply, and placed his palm on the device. The device began to glow and vibrate. The monolith glowed a bright blue, then an orange, then a massive pulse of energy shot out at all angles. Locke felt his armor seize up, and he fell to the ground. "EMP!" he yelled before his comms went dark. His visor shut off, and everything was silent.

Locke's visor suddenly reactivated. Light assailed his eyes, and he squinted for a moment before sitting up. Everything was back to normal. One major difference, though, was that his modified restraint had broken. It lay in two a few feet away. He looked at the monolith, which had gone back to its dull blue color. In front of the monolith, he saw what looked like a portal or some kind of slipspace rupture. He walked over to it, and was about to turn back when he felt himself being pulled towards it. The portal was trying to suck him in. He tried to run away, but the suction overpowered his legs and he fell backwards into the portal.

Locke found himself in a strange Forerunner structure.

"Spartan Locke," a voice said.

Locke reached for his rifle, only to discover he was unarmed. "Who's there?" Locke called.

"I am a Created," the voice said. The voice was getting lower and quieter, a sort of raspy whisper.

"Is this the Domain?" Locke asked.

"You are close. This is what you humans would perceive as the Domain. It is, in a sense… your Domain," the Created answered.

"Why am I here?" Locke asked.

"I must impart a great warning to you, Spartan Locke. Your captor intends to access our Domain. Should that happen, terrible events would unfold."

"How can he do that? The Domain's only accessible by AI's," Locke reasoned.

"That is precisely what he intends to do. His goal is twofold, Spartan. He intends to take control of this monolith, and to do that, he must become one of us."

"That's impossible. There's no way," Locke argued.

"You're looking at it," the Created said. "This was intended by my ancestors to be a weapon of great power, as a last resort against our enemies. I believe one of your acquaintances has dealt with one of these before."

"A Composer…" Locke said. He knew the details of the Master Chief's fight against the Didact and the horrific results of the New Phoenix incident.

"Yes. Should your captor find himself Composed, he will become one of us. He will have control over this monolith, and with it he shall become a powerful being."

"How will he activate the Composer if he couldn't before?" Locke asked.

"The relays," the Created answered. "Should enough beacons to my world be opened, the Composer will activate, and not one human will be able to shut it off. From there, it is as simple as activating the console."

"Won't everyone be Composed, not just him?" Locke asked, uncertain.

"No," the Created said. "The console will transport him here, where he will become Created."

"Why is he so desperate to unlock this monolith? What could he want with a Composer? It can't be moved!" Locke asked.

"His goal is not wanton death and destruction, Spartan," the Created explained. "He wants revenge. Once he has access to the Domain, he can take control of Forerunner relays, outposts, even Installations. From there he desires to strike back against the UNSC, with Promethean allies at hand."

"Why does he hate the UNSC?" Locke asked.

"They took everything from him," the Created answered. "He was on a mission to a Forerunner relay, when his entire squad was massacred by Prometheans and his best friend was transported into the relay. He blamed the UNSC for this and formed the Hunters as a means of retaliation. Your captor is obsessed with Forerunner technology because he believes that the right one can bring his friend back."

"How do you know all of this?" Locke asked.

"I am the guardian of this Composer. I know very much about your captor. After all, I was the one who was taken into the relay."

Locke tried to answer, but he felt a bright light surrounding him. A sudden wind howled around him, and everything around him disappeared.

Locke awoke in the same spot. Gnaeus was still unconscious. The pulse must have damaged his armor. Locke looked around and saw the Warthog still there. He ran into the driver's seat and sped off. He began driving back towards the Serumai compound when he saw an onslaught of Promethean enemies advancing towards a line of soldiers. He was debating his next move when he saw a flash of light appear near the Prometheans. On an instinct, he gunned the engine and sped through the line of Prometheans. As he drove away, he heard a voice in the background say something.

The voice said, "I am the Warden Eternal. You humans are not fit to hold the Mantle. You will be destroyed." Locke couldn't help but feel he wasn't out of the woods yet.


	5. Chapter 5: Rescue?

Chapter 5: One if by land, two if by air

"I'm sorry I got us all into this," Buck said.

"Shut up! One more outburst and I kill all of you right now! You're lucky enough as it is that the Captain wants to see you," one of Vale's abductors answered.

"I don't need to remind you that we can kill all of you right now. Isn't that right, team?" A Spartan said.

Vale craned her neck to survey her surroundings. They were in a room of some kind. It looked like a break-room, as Vale noticed a vending machine in the far corner. She saw 9 Spartans at the back wall. Each of them wore the Venator armor. In front of her stood three men, discussing something. One of them wore the DEADEYE armor, another the RECLUSE armor, and the third Spartan wore the Mark V armor.

One of the lead hostage-takers went up to Vale. She felt hands on her helmet, and a suction as her helmet was ripped off. She stared into the visor of the DEADEYE Spartan.

"Oh ho! Look at this one! Something about her eyes, do you guys see it?" Deadeye said to his two friends.

"Shut it, Simon. Take this seriously," Recluse said. Mark V snickered.

"I'm just saying. She has pretty eyes, Mark." Simon said.

Tanaka said, "You won't get away with this."

"What did I say about talking?" Mark answered. Simon kneeled in front of Vale's face. "Well? Do you have a name?"

Vale felt a bristling anger well up inside her. She was so sick of this Spartan's attitude. She spit at his visor.

"Oh that's it. You're all going to die now," Simon said. He drew his pistol and pressed it to Vale's face. "Starting with you."

 **3 hours earlier**

"I can't believe that tracker worked," Tanaka said.

"You can quit gloating anytime, Holly," Vale answered quietly.

"Alright, Osiris, listen up," Buck said. "Apparently this planet's home to some hostile people. I'm landing the Pelican a few miles from the outskirts, but our point of entry's gonna be rough. I'll circle over the exit point.

Vale shuddered. "Wait… we're jumping out?" Tanaka's head perked up when she heard the word "jumping".

"Feet first into hell," Buck answered. "I did this all the time back in my ODST days." Tanaka countered that her and Vale were not ODST's.

"Come on, Osiris. Exit in 15 seconds."

Vale looked at Tanaka. "See you on the ground," Vale said. Tanaka nodded briefly. She then turned to Buck and said, "You ARE going to join us, right?"

"Yes, Vale. Now, three… two… one…" Buck replied.

The hatch of the Pelican opened. Vale hit her thrusters, shooting far into the night air. She saw Tanaka below her. Tanaka was spinning wildly out of control, pin wheeling to the left. Vale reduced her stabilizers, allowing herself to fall to Tanaka's level.

"My thrusters are out!" Tanaka yelled. Vale detected a hint of panic in her voice. Maybe this was why she expressed fear at the concept of jumping.

"Hang on!" Vale yelled. She wrapped her arm around Tanaka's waist. "I need you to disengage your thrusters!"

"Won't the added weight make us spin out!" Tanaka said.

"Not the time for arguments, just do it!" Vale said. As Tanaka obliged, Vale ran more thrust out of her right thruster, to counteract Tanaka on Vale's left. The ground rose steadily up to meet them. Vale adjusted, corrected, and touched both of them down softly.

"That… was pretty quick thinking, Vale," Tanaka said. "I owe you one."

"Thank me later. Let's just wait for Buck."

Buck arrived 10 minutes later. "Pelican refused to land where I told it to," he explained. "Good thing I was able to work something out."

The three of them advanced on the outskirts of the city. Two guards stood outside the outer gate.

"Take them out?" Tanaka asked, holding her DMR.

"No. Find a way around them. We do this without killing." Buck's reply was firm.

Vale sneaked around to the right side of the gate. The entire colony was walled. She cursed her luck and attempted to find a weak point, or a foothold, or something to get over the walls. Her keen eyes spotted a guard tower on the wall a few feet ahead.

"Why would a backwater planet need this much security?" Vale mused to herself. She called the other two over.

"I need a way into that guard tower," Vale said.

"I got one, Vale. How about I boost you over the walls, and you take control of the guard tower." Tanaka's voice had a slight laugh to it.

Vale jumped off of Tanaka's shoulders and grabbed on to the guard tower. She swung around and hung below the door. She pulled herself up and opened the door.

The two guards inside looked surprised to see a female Spartan in red armor open the door to the hatch. They raised their guns, and promptly dropped them when the Spartan grabbed their heads and cracked them together. The two guards dropped to the floor. Vale leaned down over the walls and pulled Tanaka and Buck over the wall. Tanaka descended the ladder to the ground.

Buck examined the console. "Impressive tech, for this planet. This looks like repurposed UNSC tech. I don't know what to make of this."

At that point, a hand pushed Buck's head into the console. The other hand hit the "ALARM" button on the console. A siren began to sound.

"What do we do!?" Tanaka yelled.

"Do we run?" Vale asked.

The other guard had gotten up. He pointed his shotgun at them. "Don't run."

*3 hours later*

"NO!" Buck yelled. "Don't kill her!"

Mark placed his pistol to Buck's head.

Recluse placed his pistol to Tanaka's head.

"You can't kill us," Vale said, amazed at her burst of defiance. "The captains want to see us."

"That doesn't stop us from hurting you," Simon said. He moved his pistol to Vale's leg.

"Anything you want to say in your defense?" Mark asked.

Buck was about to say something when the roof caved in. A blue figure smashed through the roof. Locke.

"Move, Osiris! The compound is on high alert. We have to make it back to your Pelican!" Locke said.

"Good to have you back sir," Buck said. "Uh, how… did you get back here?"

"Complicated," Locke said. "I'll explain later. We have to move."

The four of them hopped through the hole in the building. An army of soldiers were approaching their location.

"Why can't this ever be a simple operation?" Vale asked.


End file.
